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Unknown: Religion and Reason Map [LINK-ZUM]

Labels: buddhism, christianity, hindu, islam, judaism, maps, religion

BBC: Work starts on Hindu cow centre [LINK-ZUM]

Building work is to start on a cow and working oxen protection centre at a Hertfordshire Hindu temple. The unit at the Bhaktivedanta Manor temple near Watford will be dedicated to Gangotri, a 13-year-old cow put down by lethal injection by RSPCA officers. This act sparked outrage and a campaign to change the UK law on animal cruelty.

A temple spokesman said Hindus regard cows as sacred and should be exempted from cruelty laws, but the RSPCA challenges the campaign for change. The RSPCA said the cow had been sick and was suffering. The spokesman for the Hare Krishna temple said that some suffering was part of life and it was a outrage to kill the animal on ground the Hindus regarded as sacred. "Followers of religions such as Islam and Judaism have immunity from the laws because their animals are killed for religious food. Hindus try to preserve life and are vegetarian. We want the same treatment to allow our cows and oxen to die naturally. Our new protection centre is designed to care for the animals from birth to death."

[Article continues at link. In order to maintain the cow's sacred status, the temple was willing to let it suffer. In order to maintain the cow's quality of life, the RSPCA put it to death. In the real world nothing is sacred, every thing is just what it is. We can remember that if we consider some things more special than other things then it is we, now, who are considering it such. Keeping a sacred cow in a temple is one more way religion does the unthinkable in a socially acceptable way. No one can keep a sacred cow because they really like Dr. Who, or pre-raphaelite paintings, or prime numbers. But if you do it in the name of religion, you can get away with almost anything. You can even petition to have your superstition enfranchised into law. The RSPCA doesn't seem to be as kook-riddled as PETA, but of course the strange contradiction of killing an animal to save it remains. - Trevor Blake]

Labels: B12, hindu, theocracy

Jo-Ann Goodwin and David Jones: The unspeakable practice of female circumcision that's destroying young women's lives in Britain [LINK-ZUM]

It is known by a variety of names, the most common of which are female genital mutilation (FGM), female circumcision, or simply "cutting" - a word which somehow conveys the raw pain its prepubescent victims suffer. Most people will be unfamiliar with this practice, which involves removing part or all of the clitoris, the surrounding labia (the outer part of the vagina) and sometimes the sewing up of the vagina, leaving only a small opening for urine and menstrual blood. [...] During a highly disturbing, four-month investigation, however, we uncovered evidence that thousands of British-African girls, in towns and cities throughout the country, have been forcibly "cut". By conservative estimates, 66,000 women and girls living in Britain have been mutilated. [...] And thousands more girls are at imminent risk as families club together to fly professional "cutters" from Africa to Britain. These women "elders" perform the crude operation for up to 40 [UK Pounds] a time, often on kitchen tables or floors, without anaesthetic, using filthy, blunt knives, razor blades or scalpels.

[Article continues at link. The authors go on to explain that every religion practices female genital mutilation equally - Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, etc. - but culturally insensitive Islamophobes exclusively criticise Muslims. Just kidding. Everybody knows that Islam corners the market on mutilating girl's genitals, leaving the mutilation of boy's genitals largely to Christians and Jews. Every religion has a place at the table when it comes to mutilating the genitals of infants and children. The more we tolerate superstition in the 21st Century, the more infants and children can have their genitals mutilated. Not just in the 'backwards' countries, but right here in the West. In Britain, in Canada, in the United States. - Trevor Blake]

Labels: buddhism, christianity, hindu, islam, judaism

Eileen Flynn: Church rejects interfaith service on its property [LINK-ZUM]

Austin [Texas, USA] Area Interreligious Ministries, the city's largest interfaith organization, announced Thursday that its annual Thanksgiving celebration Sunday had to be moved because Hyde Park Baptist Church objected to non-Christians worshipping on its property. The group learned Wednesday that the rental space at the church-owned Quarries property in North Austin was no longer available because Hyde Park leaders had discovered that non-Christians, Muslims in particular, would be practicing their faith there. The event, now in its 23rd year, invites Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Bahais and others to worship together. [...]

Several Muslim groups were acting as this year's hosts for the event. Kent Jennings, associate pastor of administration at Hyde Park, released a statement Thursday that said church leaders received a postcard about the service Monday and only then realized that it "was not a Christian oriented event." The postcard also "promised space for Muslim Maghrib prayer and revealed that the event was co-hosted by the Central Texas Muslimaat, the Forum of Muslims for Unity, and the Institute of Interfaith Dialog," according to Hyde Park's statement. "Although individuals from all faiths are welcome to worship with us at Hyde Park Baptist Church, the church cannot provide space for the practice of these non-Christian religions on church property," the statement said. "Hyde Park Baptist Church hopes that the AAIM and the community of faith will understand and be tolerant of our church's beliefs that have resulted in this decision."

[Article continues at link. Hyde Park Baptist Church has a particularly religious application of the concept 'tolerance.' In religion, 'tolerance' means 'do what I say without asking questions.' It does not mean accepting that other viewpoints exist in their own right, that they do not exist merely a criticism of one's own viewpoints. Hyde Park Baptist Church seems to be claiming that other religions are welcome to an interfaith dialog as long as only one faith is allowed a speaking role in the dialog. This use of the concept of tolerance is found predominantly in religious groups. It betrays the Enlightenment and all of Western civilization, which was built on the claim that while one holds fast to what is right, one listens to other viewpoints which may reveal where one is wrong or holds incomplete information. My hope would be that religious groups willing to meet will learn from each other and grow ever more secular, while religious groups unwilling to meet will become more isolated and grow ever more irrelevant. - Trevor Blake]

Labels: christianity, hindu, islam, judaism, religion

BBC: Report on Hindu god Ram withdrawn [LINK-ZUM]

The Indian government has withdrawn a controversial report submitted in court earlier this week which questioned the existence of the Hindu god Ram. The report was withdrawn after huge protests by opposition parties. The report was presented to the Supreme Court on Wednesday in connection with a case against a proposed shipping canal project between India and Sri Lanka. [...]

They said there was no scientific evidence to prove that the events described in Ramayana ever took place or that the characters depicted in the epic were real. Hindu activists say the bridge was built by Lord Ram's monkey army to travel to Sri Lanka and has religious significance. In the last two days, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched a scathing attack on the government for questioning the "faith of the million".

[Retaining or destroying a natural formation based on its current beauty or popularity compared to a potential function is tricky. The functionality can be quantified but it isn't something that is real. Popularity can be quantified but only to a limited degree as a few highly dedicated supporters might be equal to many moderate supporters. Beauty can't be quantified at all but is an entirely valid reason for leaving something be. Even leaving something be for tradition's sake alone has its place. There are good reasons to leave that natural land bridge alone. Honoring invisible monsters that command monkey armies is not one of them. And what weak monsters they are if holding a differing opinion about an article of faith threatens their very existence. I have no idea whether or not this natural land bridge should be left alone or changed or destroyed. I do know that there is no Ram, monkeys don't build bridges, and it is an error for governments to be run by superstition. - Trevor Blake]

Labels: architecture, hindu, theocracy

Albert Mohler: Is Your Baby Gay? What If You Could Know? What If You Could Do Something About It? [LINK-ZUM]

What if you could know that your unborn baby boy is likely to be sexually attracted to other boys? Beyond that, what if hormonal treatments could change the baby's orientation to heterosexual? Would you do it? Some scientists believe that such developments are just around the corner. [...] If a biological basis is found, and if a prenatal test is then developed, and if a successful treatment to reverse the sexual orientation to heterosexual is ever developed, we would support its use as we should unapologetically support the use of any appropriate means to avoid sexual temptation and the inevitable effects of sin.

[Article continues at link. Let's consider Dr. Mohler's claims. He claims Hinuism, Buddhism and Marxism are satanic (Catholics, too), and he claims that atheism is a religion. He claims "intelligent design" is a scientific theory. Dr. Mohler claims the North won the US Civil War because they were Christians (but, uh, weren't the South Christians too? And isn't the Bible just queer for slavery?) He is also way against torture except sometimes. So for sure and for real this guy has the high ground when it comes to morals and facts, and oh thank heaven he and his kind have the ear of the Bush administration. American Samizdat, March 9 2007 - Trevor Blake]

Labels: buddhism, christianity, creationism, fascism, hindu, sex, slavery, socialism

Reuters: Nepal airline sacrifices goats to appease sky god [LINK-ZUM]

Officials at Nepal's state-run airline have sacrificed two goats to appease Akash Bhairab, the Hindu sky god, following technical problems with one of its Boeing 757 aircraft, the carrier said on Tuesday. [...] The goats were sacrificed in front of the troublesome aircraft on Sunday at Nepal's only international airport in Kathmandu in accordance with Hindu traditions, an official said. "The snag in the plane has now been fixed and the aircraft has resumed its flights," said Raju K.C., a senior airline official, without explaining what the problem had been.

[These goats died for nothing. If the aircraft are not fixed by secular means and people die as a result, they will have also died for nothing. - Trevor Blake]

Labels: hindu

atheist tags [LINK-ZUM]

9/11 atheist buddhism christianity hindu islam judaism magick mormon philosophy religion satanism scientology subgenius subud theocracy watchtower

Labels: 9/11, atheist, buddhism, christianity, hindu, islam, judaism, magick, mormon, philosophy, religion, satanism, scientology, subgenius, subud, theocracy, watchtower

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